In my room, on the wall behind my bed, there are pictures. Tons of pictures of my friends and my family, and of all the amazing places I’ve traveled to. On the wall behind my bed, there are also quotes. I geek out over quotes, and I mean that. To me, finding a new quote is like finding treasure, that those words are pure magic. Reading a quote can change my mood from happy to sad, from miserable to ecstatic, from angry and hating the world to believing in love. Quotes have that power to me.

I’m someone that finds it so incredibly difficult to put my own thoughts into words, and then gets tongue tied when I try to say those words out loud. Sometimes I’ll find a quote that just speaks to me, and perfectly sums up my thoughts, feelings, and says everything I want to say.

I have so many favorites, in fact, I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to quotes. However, one of my favorites has really spoken to me lately. I don’t remember when I first read, or heard the quote, but recently I’ve been seeing it a lot. Last weekend, I went to DC for the Women’s March on Washington, needless to say it was incredible, overwhelming, and just downright awesome. But while marching, I saw a sign out of the corner of my eye. It was a white sign, with blue and green letters, and seeing it just reminded me how important the quote was.

“They tried to bury us. They didn't know we were seeds.”

This quote can be relevant to thousands of different situations. But really, this quote speaks to me because I feel like people have tried to bury me (not literally, obviously). Countless times, I’ve felt like someone, or something has tried to shut me down, squash my dreams, and hurt me, and time and time again, I let them. But then I remember these words, and I realize that no matter how many times someone tries to bury me, I have the power to grow, and not let myself,  my dreams, my feelings, or my words be buried. I can be a seed.

We can all be seeds. There will always be people telling you that you may not be good enough, may not be strong enough, or that you don’t matter. Those people will try to bury you. Be a seed. Grow, change, and pick yourself up. Odds are you are good enough and are strong enough, and I know for sure that you matter. Be a seed. 




Hannah Brown '18 is from Yellow Springs, Ohio. She is majoring in Peace Studies with a focus on Social Justice. She also works as a Student Ambassador at Manchester.